Texas Campus Robbery Leaves 1 Dead

January 14, 1998

McALLEN, Texas (AP) _ Two gunmen killed a security guard and shot three other people while robbing a community college registration line.

The suspects, armed with assault-style weapons, escaped in a white, four-door sedan after the shooting Tuesday evening at South Texas Community College, said police spokesman Mitch Reinitz. A third person who drove a getaway car was also being sought.

Counseling centers were set up at the school today to help students cope. Registration was canceled until Thursday at the school, which has about 6,000 students.

Javier Solis, a 30-year-old sophomore, said he was about to walk into the building when the shooting started and several students ran out.

``I was scared,″ Solis said. ``I was so thankful to God that I was late for registration.″

Witnesses said the gunmen, one of whom wore a ski mask, stormed into a classroom where registration was being held and demanded money. About 20 people were in the room.

The three wounded were all college employees, school president Shirley Reed said. Authorities did not release their names, but family members identified two of them as sisters: Melissa Singleterry, 19, and her 27-year-old sister, Mary. They were in critical condition after surgery at McAllen Medical Center.

The third wounded employee, a 20-year-old man, was listed in stable condition at Rio Grande Regional Medical Center.

Also Tuesday, a campus policeman at the University of Nevada was found beaten to death. A passer-by discovered the body of Sgt. George Sullivan, 43, lying next to his patrol car early Tuesday near an information kiosk at a school entrance in Reno. He was the first officer killed on campus since the police force was formed in 1965.